History of the W3R (1780-1783) 

Latest changes: 07Apr23 - put early history here / 07Jun02 - move early history to france.htm / 08Feb17 -move to W3R-US site /

History of the W3R

Period Event Links States
1780 July - 1781 May Arrival and stay in Newport RI RI
1781 Jan - July Lafayette vs Cornwallis in VA VA
1781 June March from RI via CT to NY MA,RI,CT
1781 July - Aug 13 NY encampment, sally-in-force against British positions; decision to besiege Cornwallis in VA NY
1781 Aug 14 - Sep 2 March from NY via NJ to PA NY,NJ
1781 Sep 2-5 March via PA to DE PA
1781 Sep 2-7 March via DE to MD The soldiers continued by water, the officers and baggage by land. At the Virginia Capes the French fleet drives off a British fleet, thus denying relief to the British army at Yorktown DE
1781 Sep 8-24 via MD and VA to Yorktown MD,VA
1781 November Victory and Return North Immediately after the brief siege and magnificent victory at Yorktown the U.S. Continental troops and the two French fleets returned to their pre-convergence locations. The French army remained in VA for the winter. VA
1782 July-Dec Return of the French army from VA to Boston MA, after which most of the French troops shipped out from Boston for the Caribbean. all

Active Map of the W3R (below)

As you move the mouse curson across the map below it will change shape when it gets near the white or grey lines. You may then click to go to the page with the history of the W3R for that section of the march (going south). To read the history of the return march in 1782 you must use the table.

A Note about "Official" W3R Routes

LEGEND:

WHITE: main land route

GREY: sailing route

BLUE: major rivers
    or French fleet route

BLACK: state boundaries

YELLOW: British fleet route

W3R March Map FR: Arrive in Newport RI FR: March to NY Camp near NYC March to PA March to MD Sail to VA

Timeline of the W3R

When the cursor changes shape on the text-note areas of the timeline you may click to see more detail on that aspect of the campaign.

W3R Timeline
FR: Arrive in Newport RI FR: Stay in Newport RI FR: March to NY Skirmish near NYC March to MD Sail to VA Siege FR: Stay in VA FR: March to NY FR: March to RI FR: March to MA FR: Stay in DE

Related Historical Material

March to Victory -- Washington, Rochambeau, and the Yorktown Campaign of 1781 [52-page PDF file], by Dr. Robert Selig, with many illustrations by David R. Wagner. [This is posted on the W3R-US site with the permission of the US Army Center of Military History, <www.army.mil/cmh-pg/ > which published the pamphlet in April, 2007, as CMH Pub 70-104-1. If you wish to reproduce the PDF file in quantity or if you wish to post the PDF file on the Web contact Beth.Mackenzie@HQDA.Army.mil for permission.

"Lafayette, Franklin, and the Coming of Rochambeau's Army", by Prof. Jonathan R. Dull (1980)

Yorktown Day speech, October 19, 2004. [France Society SAR], by Jacques de Trentinian, noted the global importance of Yorktown.

A strategic overview of the Yorktown campaign [North Carolina Society SAR], by Ray Maxson.

For books on the French army and its role in the American Revolution Search the Resource Page for: Chartrand, Chastellux, Kennett, Rice, Selig

The Rochambeau Map Collection

The Library of Congress has put online the Rochambeau Map Collection -- over a hundred maps from the personal collection of Gen. Rochambeau during 1780-83. Maps for the area travelled by the French Expeditionary Force are noted below: (numbers refer to Collection order): overview of the whole route (65), 40 maps of the campsites (67), MA (14), RI (38-41, 42-44), CT (7), NY (21-33), NJ (18-20), PA (37), DE (8), MD (8, 12, 13), VA (50-64).

Rutgers University has a cartography site with a detailed sepia map of the route. They grant permission solely to view the map image, not to download or to print it.

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